Calling All Detectives

Over the past few weeks, we have raised numerous concerns about how long it's taken Congress to confirm Neil Barofksy as the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and give him the authority and resources he needs to accomplish his mission.  As we wrote last week, the latest stumbling block is that a senator appears to have placed a secret hold on Barofsky's nomination.

Whatever your position on the bailout may be, taxpayers everywhere should be concerned that an anonymous senator is preventing Barofksy from taking office and investigating wasteful and abusive bailout expenditures.  TPMMuckraker has launched a campaign to identify the senator who placed the secret hold.  Can you help solve the mystery??

Please take a moment to contact your senators and politely ask whether or not they placed a hold on Barofsky's nomination (click here to look up who your senators are).  If you get an answer, let the folks at TPMMuckraker know by emailing them or posting a comment on their blog.  And while you're at it, be sure to check out the GAO's latest recommendations for improving accountability and transparency in the bailout program.

-- Michael Smallberg